PTHS Curriculum Guide 2024-2025

HONORS COURSES Honors courses are designed for students with high ability and strong academic motivation. Placement in an honors course is based on the following criteria: 1. Standardized test scores 2. Grade Point Average 3. Teacher recommendation 4. Parent approval INDEPENDENT STUDY The following guidelines should govern the approval of an Independent Study course: 1. The class must be part of the regular curriculum of PTHS and not be offered or available during the semester of the Independent Study. 2. An Independent Study class will meet at a mutually agreed upon time: before or after school, or during the teacher’s preparation period. 3. Class time, work, and tests must be equivalent to other semester courses. (75 hours) 4. A student must have completed 9th grade before requesting an Independent Study course. 5. No more than 8.0 credits may be earned in a regular academic year, unless approved by the administration. 6. Requests to offer or participate in Independent Study courses will be made per semester. 7. No teacher may have more than one Independent Study assignment per semester. OTHER CREDIT COURSEWORK A student may earn credits toward high school graduation from any approved and accredited junior college, an approved correspondence program, Edmentum, and/or accredited high school programs. Prior to enrolling, students must have administration/counselor approval. Approval may not be given for a class already offered by PTHS that can be placed in the student’s schedule. Graduation credit will be awarded upon successful completion of these courses; however, no GPA credit will be calculated for courses taken for credit recovery. Students taking a course through an approved junior college must successfully complete at least a two (2) semester hour course to receive a half (1/2) credit towards fulfilling their high school graduation requirements. Payment of any tuition/cost for this coursework is the responsibility of the student. This policy may be modified on an individual basis for any student with administrative approval. ACCELERATED PLACEMENT The District provides for an Accelerated Placement Program (APP) for qualified students. It provides students with an educational setting with curriculum options that are usually reserved for students who are older or in higher grades than the student. Accelerated placement includes but may not be limited to: accelerating a student in a single subject and grade acceleration. Participation is open to all students who demonstrate high ability and who may benefit from accelerated placement. It is not limited to students who have been identified as gifted or talented. Please contact the principal for additional information.

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